Greetings to all from Fredericksburg, VA.  I moved down here from MD with
my ferretry last fall, am just now meeting other ferret-fanciers in the
area.
 
This weekend I'm baby-sitting two 8-year old ferrets, and they really are a
blast.  Right now my oldest ferret is just six, having lost my only 8-year
old last summer.  Anyway, one of these old ladies is blind, possibly from
lack of taurine in her early diet, and the other had a heart condition
which makes her retain lots of fluid.  However, they're just as sweet as
can be, and still obviously enjoy life.  Thank goodness they have an owner
who's willing to invest a little time and money to keep them comfortable;
this is the kind of person I want to sell my kits to.
 
The ferret with the heart condition looks funny because of her swollen
body, and has lost most of her hair, but she still is keenly interested in
all that goes on around her.  When she gets her medication she makes a
little sound of disgust, but when she gets a raisin, she makes the funniest
little grunts of pleasure.  Because of her bulk she has trouble getting to
the litter pan, but her owner found a solution: line the bottom of the cage
floor with a Depends pad - it's an excellent fit!
 
Her blind compainon is still able to get around quite well.  When I put
them in my big playpen (made of shower wallboard, nothing sticks to it!)
the blind ferret will carefully make a circuit of the walls, sniffing the
toys, but she soon returns to snuggle next to her companion.
 
We'll all be like this one day, if we live long enough.  So, take care of
your oldsters and they'll give a whole different kind of pleasure than they
did when they were kits.
 
For dates and places of upcoming ferret shows, see the AFA website at
www.ferret.org
 
To discourage biting: get a spray bottle of Bitter Apple or Bitter Lime.
Use it religiously for a few weeks, and the ferrets soon recognise the
smell and won't even attempt to bite.
 
cheers, Judith Sanders
[Posted in FML issue 2464]